


Not All Wounds Mend with Time

by Archaeologyfiend



Series: From a Certain Point of View [5]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Ahsoka Tano Needs a Hug, Ahsoka Tano-centric, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Jedi council bashing, Mentions of Slavery, OC's - Freeform, Tatooine Slave Culture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-19
Updated: 2019-01-19
Packaged: 2019-10-12 16:05:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17470670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Archaeologyfiend/pseuds/Archaeologyfiend
Summary: Ahsoka hops from place to place, chasing information and ghosts. Until one catches up with her and sends her on a mission to find out the truth of what happened to her old Jedi master.OrAhsoka is messed up after her duel with Vader but moving forwards anyway until an old friend dumps her right on Luke Skywalker's doorstep.





	Not All Wounds Mend with Time

**Author's Note:**

> This is Part 2 and just to clarify, by the end of this fic it's been twelve years since the rise of the Empire.

Ahsoka was working in a repair shop on Mandalore, discreetly digging out information for Bail, when she first glimpsed her. A flash of sky blue, face similar but older, marred by a long scar on the face before she disappeared around the corner and Ahsoka dismissed it as nothing more than speculation. It wouldn’t be the first time she thought she had seen an echo of the past. But then, a couple of years later on Naboo, while Ahsoka was on a poorly going recruitment drive for the fledgling Rebellion, she saw her again. This time, it was a definitive look, one that spoke to a truth that she couldn’t quite grasp.

It had been many years since Ahsoka had seen Sho Verlana, a fresh young Padawan when Ahsoka had left the Order. She remembered the years before that though, fond memories of helping the young girl with sabre techniques when she and Skyguy had been in the Temple. In the interim ten years since the Empire rose, she had thought her dead. The girl would have been fifteen and still at the Temple during the massacre, but here she was, alive and well, dressed in the uniform of a guard and following loyally behind Senator Naberrie who looked so painfully like Padme that Ahsoka hadn’t had the courage to speak to her. She wasn’t sure she wanted any of the answers the woman would be able to give her.

Sho looked different from before though.  The Pantoran woman had cut her hair short, so that the pale silver hair fell to her chin, instead of how she used to wear it longer. Her face was more severe, cut by a long thick scar that could only have been made by a lightsabre, golden eyes aware of everything surrounding her. Gone was the innocent little girl Ahsoka had taught, the eager young Padawan determined to uphold the Jedi Code. She wasn’t even wearing a lightsabre that Ahsoka could see.

She was, however, staring right at where the Togruta woman was hiding.

Ahsoka shrank back, attempting to melt into the shadows and Sho turned away, whispering something to her fellow guard, who nodded despite the fact that he was being badgered by the small five-year-old girl that could only be the Senator’s youngest daughter. Sola Naberrie rescued the poor man, by taking her daughter by the hand and gently pulling her along, past the towering statue of her sister, her mausoleum and out of the main square of Theed.

The next day, Ahsoka found herself accosted by several Stormtroopers and had to flee the planet, cursing her luck.

* * *

The next time she saw Sho was when she was shadowing Leia, having only just returned from her disastrous fight with Vader. She was fairly certain that the man, whoever he was now, hadn’t been trying to kill her outright, but he was most certainly not her master. Anakin Skywalker was dead, and she had to try and make her traitorous heart understand that, despite the promise she made to never leave him again. It was in this storm of confusion, four years since she had last seen her, that Sho walked back into her life.

She and Leia had been sat at a bar, her young charge eager to put into practice the skills her father had taught her reluctantly, when the young woman dropped into the seat opposite, next to Leia. The girl jumped, turning to stare at the Pandoran woman, eyes narrowed.

“Who are you?” she asked directly, sounding strangely an awful lot like Anakin in one of his many less than tactful moments. Sho glanced at her, one pale eyebrow raised delicately, a smile tugging at her lips.

“Hm, the people who say you’re like your mother are all kinds of wrong,” Sho said cryptically. “Hello again, Tano.” Ahsoka stared, wondering what she was doing here, on _Coruscant_ of all places!

“Are you _trying_ to get caught?” Ahsoka hissed, leaning forwards. “Sho-“ The woman waved her hand, finger to her lips.

“I would ask you the same question but it’s too late now. I came to warn you. The Emperor knows you’re here. In ten minutes, Vader will walk through that door and have you beheaded. Organa will be arrested the moment he realises you’re here with his adoptive daughter.” Ahsoka stiffened in horror, leaning back and Leia went pale.

“Ahsoka…” the girl whispered, eyes wide.

“Come with us,” Ahsoka said as she stood, waiting for Sho to stand and allow Leia to come with her, but the woman stayed right where she was. “Sho!” Ahsoka pleaded but her younger friend merely shook her head.

“I’ll escort the young Princess back to her father,” Sho said calmly. “If she’s spotted with you, the Rebellion will fall before it’s even begun to be useful.” Ahsoka swallowed but nodded. She had to trust her friend, this woman who had survived the massacre.

“You’ll have to tell me how you escaped the Temple,” Ahsoka said, having no doubts that she would find her again. This was the third time in eight years- it couldn’t be a coincidence. Sho nodded and allowed Ahsoka to kneel in front of Leia, who had attempted to crawl her way over the other woman. “Leia,” she said firmly, hiding her fear, “Sho is an old friend of mine, from the Temple. You can trust her. She’ll get you back safely to Bail.” Leia nodded, pale but determined and Sho waved her off.

“Go,” the woman said, face stern but Ahsoka could see some softness in her golden eyes. And so, Ahsoka with eight minutes left before she could have faced Vader once again, turned and fled the bar. She couldn’t face him again, so soon after the first defeat. But she would, she swore to herself, through the tears. She _would_. She had _promised_. But not today.

* * *

She was right, when not even three months later, Sho found her once again. Sat in a tiny cramped cantina on Tattooine and regretting her decisions the last time they had met, the Pandoran woman dropped once again into the seat opposite, almost like a moment of deja vu, had she not been dressed in the same loose farmer clothes of the others, a long scarf wrapped around her head and mouth as protection from the sandstorm outside. A grumpy moisture farmer with a grizzled face, clearly a local, sat heavily in the seat next to her, looking distinctly unimpressed by all of this.

“Bloody sandstorms,” the man muttered, throwing back the drink shoved under his nose and Sho grimaced, showing her agreement with him. Ahsoka blinked, wondering who he was.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, incredulous. They were on the other side of the galaxy, as far away from the Core worlds as one could get. The farmer blinked but Sho gave her a warm smile, a shadow of the bright young girl from years before shining through.

“Slave runs,” she said cheerily. “And to fulfil that promise I gave you.” The man grunted and returned to his drink. “Don’t mind Owen. It’s been a long day.”

“Rather be at home,” the man muttered. “never know what trouble Luke’s gotten himself into now.” Ahsoka wondered what that meant, but then decided it probably wasn’t important- Tattooine was a boring place for young minds, she had found, and had decided her master was probably lucky he didn’t remember the planet other than their odd trips to the planet. Nothing but the knowledge and deep-rooted hatred of slavery.

“Slave runs?” Ahsoka asked, askance. “You’re-“

“Rescuing and smuggling out ex-slaves. I’m just here to deliver a birthday present,” Sho said blithely. “And help detect the Force Senstive ones.” Oh, that made sense. The fewer the Emperor got his hands on, the better. Owen was shaking his head, looking exasperated.

“Can’t believe you tracked that dusty old thing down. Who the hell thought they had the rights to wipe him?” he asked, looking mildly insulted. “Suppose it’ll give Luke something to do for a few months getting the back-ups going though.” Ahsoka was about to ask, when a strangely familiar voice interrupted them.

“Oh, thank the maker, _there_ you are! This sandstorm is truly _dreadful_!” Ahsoka stared as the form of C3PO tottered towards them, golden exterior scoured by sand.

“You stole Senator Amindala’s droid!” she wasn’t sure if she was scandalised or alarmed. Last she knew, he had been in Bail’s keeping. Sho grinned, eyes bright with mischief while Owen stared at her oddly.

“Who?” he asked sharply. “He-“

“She means Padme,” Sho said, almost soothingly. “I’m just returning him home. Technically.”

“Home?” the droid asked, horrified. “This is not my home! I would never be built from such second-rate materials as can be found _here_!” Owen raised an eyebrow.

“Oh really?” There was a note of amusement in his voice, despite the clear insulted feelings pouring off the man in the Force. Ahsoka decided that she had had enough of this farce however.

“Sho, this is all very well. But you still haven’t answered my questions.” Sho stiffened and then sighed, taking a deep draught from her drink.

“I was spared. A tripping of the chip’s programming or however much Skywalker was straining against the darn thing. It only lasted about thirty seconds, but it was enough. Long enough to get away, find the others and get the hell out of there. Took Sola about a month to track us down and explain what happened. With some help,” Sho said simply, eyes trailing towards Owen who was scowling hard.

“Damn blasted lying Jedi scum,” he muttered and Ahsoka leaned backwards, alarmed at what she was hearing. Was this man an Imperial sympathiser? She was about to reach for her lightsabres when something Sho had said sparked off an alarm in her head.

“Chip?” she asked, one hand on a sabre, the other on her drink, tense. “What chip? What others?” Owen was giving her hard look.

“You mean they neve told you?” Sho was silent as Owen asked, his anger clear in the Force. When Ahsoka didn’t answer he swore ferociously under his breath in Huttese, an action that reminded her a little of her old master. “In fairness to you,” the man said gruffly, “he never told us either. Shmi would have been horrified if she knew, poor woman.”

“Told you what?” Ahsoka asked, dread flowing in the Force. It was whispering a warning to her, that she wouldn’t like the answer. Owen took a swig of his drink, face grim.

“That bloody high and mighty Council. They never removed the slave chip,” he said gravely. “All someone with the codes would have to do, would be to give the order, press a button and there’d be nothing one could do. From what Sho told me, they likely only ever turned it off. So, Anakin was nothing more than a damned _slave_ to them.” He spat the last words, eyes burning with a deep-seated anger and Ahsoka swallowed bile and horror. The Force told her he spoke the truth- one that she dearly wished was false. If it was true… was he still under it? Was that why he hadn’t tried to kill her? Why he had paused, right when she made that promise that she couldn’t keep? Was he truly not lost? Sho was watching her, eyes narrowed, lips pursed.

“I know what you’re thinking Ahsoka,” Sho said. “Don’t do something stupid.”

“But,” she started, half desperate, “But if that’s true, all we’d have to do would be to remove it-“

“And then what? Do you think he could live with that? With everything he’s done?” Sho’s face was hard but her eyes were mournful. “Sola’s tried that. It almost killed him.” She paused, cocking her head, listening. “The sandstorm’s over. Time to go.” Owen nodded and Ahsoka almost reached out for them, to grasp for something that wasn’t there. C3PO turned between them and then to her.

“Please, mistress, don’t make me go with them! I am a protocol droid! What would a moisture farmer want with me?” Threepio’s pleas made her pause and Sho looked towards Owen, who shrugged.

“She can come meet Luke if she wants. Wouldn’t want to hide him from an aunt, no matter what that damned old hermit says,” he grunted, already on his way out. “Come on droid.” Threepio followed obediently, as if knowing he had no choice. Was that how Anakin had felt? Powerless in his life with the Order? Questions she had never considered, ones she had hidden even from herself whirled through her head as Ahsoka followed them out to a battered speeder.

In the two hours it took for them to reach a moisture farm from Mos Eisley, a dozen thoughts went through Ahsoka’s head. After her dismissal from the Jedi Order, she had thought that would be the lowest she had ever thought of them, but now… now she had no words. Because if what Owen had said was true, how much of what Anakin did was by his own volition? When they went to the Zygerrion Empire, were his actions his own or done under duress by the Council? She had seen his anger earlier, yet he had still flirted with the Zygerrion queen. And now, looking back on it, Obi Wan’s deception of Rako Hardeen and Anakin’s subsequent anger… it had seemed a little extreme to her under the Order, something that ought to be pushed off and released into the Force but now she could see all it had done was drive a wedge between the two. Something she could only understand _outside_ of the Order. A wedge that had never truly been healed and driven even further by her dismissal. Obi Wan had been one of only a few of the Council to _truly_ apologise to her, him and Plo Koon.

Suddenly, Anakin’s fall didn’t seem so far fetched as it once had.

All her thoughts were brought to an abrupt, screaming halt when they arrived at the small moisture farm. Two graves were situated off to one side and, out of the small homestead, built into a hollow in the sands, sprinted a small boy, no older than Leia, with sandy blonde hair bleached by the suns and familiar bright blue eyes. The smile, however, was all Padme.

“Uncle Owen! Uncle Owen!” he shouted, laughing as Owen stepped out of the speeder, catching him and swinging him around a bit, a genuine smile on his face.

“Slow down Luke!” the man huffed, but Ahsoka could see his happiness, even without the Force. “I’ve brought you a present.”

“Really!” the boy laughed, his happiness blinding and familiar in the Force. Ahsoka’s breath caught in her throat, tears swallowed as she stared.  “For my birthday?”

“Might be a bit late,” Owen said, beckoning Threepio forward, “and he’s a bit of a project since someone wiped him, but I’ve no doubt you’ll be able to find where your father hid the d- darn back-ups.” At the mention of his father, Luke’s eyes sparkled, and he stared at Threepio in awe.

“My father… this was his?” Luke’s voice was small, awe laced with sadness in his voice. Threepio just bowed.

“Hello there, young master. I am C3PO,” the droid said, no doubt about to go on but was cut off by Luke who was bouncing on his feet a bit.

“And you were owned by my father?” Threepio cocked his head, looking between the three adults.

“I am afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the droid said, and Luke deflated. Owen placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t worry Luke. Your father built him for Grandma Shmi,” he said, mentioning once again this mysterious ‘Shmi’. “Your aunt Sola found him. And Anakin always had a knack for mechanics, just like you.” Luke blinked at him, hope rising in the Force and nodded.

“Ok,” he said. “I’ll find his memories, I promise! Come on Threepio!” And with that he shot off, back into the house, shouting down towards to someone who was most likely Owen’s wife.

“Who’s Shmi?” Ahsoka whispered to Sho who just looked at her a moment before turning and heading back towards the speeder.

“I’ve got to head back to Mos Eisley now. Doctor Villes would kill me if I missed the transport and helping her with the chip removals,” she said, returning to that stern, no-nonsense personality she had had all those months ago. It didn’t fit her. Ahsoka hesitated, drawn between the tantalising truth that was sat here in the middle of the desert or returning to her duties to the Rebellion. Sho waited a moment before saying, almost casually, “If you want to stay a day or two, Owen has to head back into town to sell his wares. I’m sure he’ll drop you off- I picked him up today to return C3PO as a surprise.”

“Where did you get him?” Ahsoka asked, eyes narrowed. Sho cocked her head a moment before the cheeky young girl glimpsed back through in her smirk.

“I stole him.” And with that she was gone, speeding away just as swiftly as she had come, just as easily as she had all those times before. Ahsoka stood, watching the dust trail for some time before a small presence made itself known next to her.

“Are you alright, miss?” Luke asked, blue eyes wide, filled with such innocence it hurt. Oh, how much she yearned that she could stay here, with this last piece of Anakin in the world. Instead she gave him a soft smile and nodded.

“Yes, I will be alright,” she said. Luke beamed back, satisfied with that answer.

“I’m Luke Skywalker! Do you want to see my workshop?” he asked, bright and eager just as she imagined Anakin had once been. She nodded, unable to find her voice in this reminder of her old master. Luke chattered away, leading her into the house and then into a room that was more likely his bedroom than any ‘workshop’, although Threepio was sat, powered down, in a corner. She listened to him talk as he worked, letting her chip in every so often when he looked to be stuck. Inevitably, Luke finally remembered that he didn’t actually know her name, asking with a faint blush of embarrassment. Ahsoka just smiled and waved it off.

“My name is Ahsoka Tano,” she said, wondering how much she ought to tell him. But then her heart squeezed, and she couldn’t help herself. “Your father was a good friend of mine.” Luke’s eyes lit up and he jumped towards her, eager to know more.

“Really? But you’re from off planet! Can you tell me about him? What he was like? Aunt Beru always they can’t tell me much because they didn’t know him that well and that they only met him twice, but I _know_ they’re holding back until I’m older!” Luke babbled, information spilling from his lips as he practically pounced on her, his need to know more, bright in the Force. There was a curious absence of that for his mother though. Ahsoka held up her hands, laughing through the pain of remembering, of how he felt so much like _Anakin_ in the Force.

“Yes, I can tell you about him! About both of your parents, if you’d like,” she offered, watching him and Luke quietened, face awed. Perhaps the simple lack of wanting to know about his mother was that she simply hadn’t been someone he had thought of before? Parents were an odd concept to a Jedi, an attachment you were broken from before it could truly be formed, although she had since learnt that not everyone felt that way. That perhaps, _she_ shouldn’t feel that way. “Anakin… he was mentor, my teacher.” She didn’t say master, not when she had since learnt that _Skywalker_ was a slave name here, that Luke was probably the first free-born Skywalker in some time. “Your father was a great man, ready to help at any moment. Your mother was kind too. You have her smile.” Luke blinked, something like tears welling in his eyes.

“Really?” he whispered. “Everyone tells me I look like Dad.” Ahsoka’s heart clenched and, for a brief moment, she wondered what would have happened had things been different, had Anakin become a father, how he would feel about being referred to as ‘Dad’. Would he have included her and Obi Wan? Would he have stayed in the Order or had he always been planning to leave? She shook off those thoughts, giving him a smile instead.

“Well, they’re not wrong. You _do_ look a lot like him. You’ve got his eyes and hair. But your nose, that smile… your height,” she teased as Luke flushed, pouting, “that’s all from your mother.”

“Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru always said they didn’t really know her, but my Aunt Sola sends me presents sometimes,” Luke said, eyes returning to Threepio. “She sends Sho out sometimes with little notes and presents from my cousins and grandmother. I never know what to say.” His voice is quiet, sad and Ahsoka wonders what it’s like, getting things from people you don’t know. “Uncle Owen said Dad was a soldier in the Clone Wars.” Ahsoka stiffened but Luke didn’t notice. “Is that where you met him?”

“Yeah,” Ahsoka breathed. “Yeah we fought together a lot.” It wasn’t a lie, it _wasn’t_. But it wasn’t the truth either and Obi Wan had always been good at half-truths. It didn’t feel honest to mislead someone, but what could she say? _Your father isn’t dead but is really Darth Vader and is wreaking havoc throughout the galaxy_? No doubt that was the truth Owen and Beru were hiding. “Your father was very good at his job. Our men would follow him anywhere.” She paused and then grinned. “Although I’ll tell you something that your Uncle Owen probably doesn’t know,” she stage-whispered, leaning in conspiratorially, sensing the man himself approaching the doorway. “Your father _always_ managed to crash his starship.” Luke giggled with her as Owen rounded the corner, grinning from most likely having heard her.

“Sounds like Anakin,” he said gruffly. “Dinner’s ready. Wash your hands Luke.” The boy scampered off, running out to tell his aunt about the nice lady who had been telling him all about his parents. Owen watched him go but Ahsoka knew he was waiting for something else. He was eyeing her carefully, her inscrutable. Calculating something. “So, you used to be one of the Jedi.”

“I left,” she said stiffly, tense and ready for a fight. Owen huffed.

“I heard.” He dug around in his coat for a moment before pulling out a rather sophisticated-looking comm. He held it out towards her. “There’s a message on there for you. We’ll be needing it back though,” he said before he turned and left abruptly, not waiting to see if she would follow. “Beru’s made up Anakin’s room for you.” Her head shot up from where she had been investigating the comm, but Owen had rounded the corner by then. _Anakin’s_ room? Had this once been his home? Had he stayed here, once upon a time? But when? How? She had first assumed Anakin had been found at the same age as she was, but the impression she got from Obi Wan and some others was that he had joined a bit later. But _how much_ later? She thought it was only a couple of years. Now, it seemed like it might be longer.

She clicked on the comm and saw a few messages, most of them written to either Owen or Beru. There were a couple for Luke, still locked and unopened, designated to be opened in four years’ time when he reached sixteen. And then, right at the bottom and dated from eight years ago, was one for her. She opened it, surprised by the password that appeared which baffled her for only a moment before it prompted ‘nickname’. She had only ever had one. Typing in those five innocuous letters led to it opening and Ahsoka stared at the long message waiting for her. Written, not spoken, signal scrambled in a way she had only ever seen once… and it started _Snips, there are things you need to know, but I don’t have the time to tell you here…_

Ahsoka settled down, bracing herself, and reading through what was sure to be a long email from a man she had once thought dead.

* * *

Two days later, Ahsoka Tano left Tattooine with a promise to Luke to visit, course set for Naboo. There were things she needed to know, and only the Naberries had the answers. And maybe, just _maybe_ , she would be able to keep her promise after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Hoping that you all enjoyed this little segment, my apologies that Vader only makes a cameo (challenge to those who can spot him ;) ). Ahsoka will return in this series, both before and after this to clarify a few things i.e. Sho's 'explanation' on what's going on. Although, since not everyone is truthful with Ahsoka and they don't know where she stands, it will be cleared up later.
> 
> Until next time though, hope you all enjoyed this!


End file.
